Grooming

[Teeny]

Hi my shitzu hates to get groomed I mean it’s really bad he won’t let you do his front legs at all I have tried everything he bites now when I do his front legs or the groomer I am at a loss at what to do now except sedating him what do you think I need to do he weighs 8.4 kg he’s 5 yrs old and in the past he had a bad experience with a groomer hence why he hats his front 2 legs being done we like to keep his hair very short cause we live on 3 acres so we get him done every 6 wks but we are having so much trouble lately we did change groomers cause we moved he has a sore on his foot atm so I tried to shave the area and he kept biting me so I am at a loss at what to do now 

thank you 

[sheena]

You may need to muzzle him, but introduce it to him slowly, like over days.  Pack it with treats, put it on, take it off, more treats etc etc. We live on a farm & I took my guy to the vets this week as he had a sore front leg, which he didn't like us touching.  Turns out he had an abcess from a grass seed which had worked its way in. While sedated they found two more embedded in his side.  So I would be getting that sore foot checked out by a vet as it is highly likely, if you live on acreage, that it could be a horrible grass seed, which if left, can work it's way right up his leg & into his shoulder.

[Rascalmyshadow]

There is no short term solution, dog’s like yours were my specialty when I was grooming, from here on all grooming needs to be slow and positive, aim for a good experience rather than a great job.

i would sedate and muzzle, as your dog improves lessen the sedation, then aim to reduce the use of the muzzle (although he may need to be muzzled always when doing the front legs).

Try to touch his feet and legs between grooming while rewarding him, stop as soon as he reacts badly, wait for him to calm, reward then touch again.

Do this each day in a non threatening way.

Some dogs improve very quickly, others take weeks to months.

Keep in mind once you remove the fear you lose the bad reactions.

Where are you located?

[Dogsfevr]

I’m not a fan of sedation because they still have the same feelings and experience  but can panic more as they don’t have control of there body .

 

What did the groomer do exactly that has made him this way ?

 

 

[Boronia]

Maybe try a couple of these tablets an hour or so before grooming, I give two to Westie Henry (9.5kg) when I hear far-off thunder or see a storm coming on the radar, they work pretty well.

Have a search on-line for your cheapest option including postage

edited to add that you may be better trimming his legs with blunt-ended scissors which are less likely to stab him and don't have the scary noise of clippers, similar to these here  Don't buy the Chinese brands from ebay as they don't cut. I haven't used these but they are made in France so maybe ok here  and I have a pair similar to these which have lasted and lasted and probably can be bought at somewhere like officejerks here

 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Boronia

[Papillon Kisses]

Hello! My dog has anxiety so I understand how much of a worry this all is.
 

Not sure where you are in QLD but there are two fear free certified groomers in Brisbane: Paws & Relax and Mother Fluffers Dog Grooming
 

Calm Companions veterinary behaviour has a cooperative grooming course or look here for other trainers who can help with changing his emotional response to handling and grooming. 

 

If you don’t have a regular vet you could see if there’s a fear free certified vet near you. They will be able to do a groom under sedation with anxiety being factored in — there are even meds that can help them forget the entire thing happened. Situational anxiety meds could also be prescribed if his anxiety needs to be lowered for behaviour modification to progress.

 

You could discuss all this with your usual vet if you have one, but most aren’t especially knowledgeable about behaviour, e.g. if they offer acepromazine say no as that does exactly what dogsfevr is warning about. So they may or may not be helpful. 

Fear free website where you can find groomers, trainers, vets https://fearfreepets.com/fear-free-directory?p=1&address=Queensland australia&category=0&center=-20.9175738%2C142.7027956&zoom=12&is_mile=1&directory_radius=0&view=grid

Edited May 20, 2020 by Papillon Kisses